


before i sleep

by weatheredlaw



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, Brother-Sister Relationships, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Love Confessions, Marriage Proposal, Shovel Talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 10:33:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4518507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatheredlaw/pseuds/weatheredlaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Anthony chuckled. "Ah, the foolish things men say when they love my sister."</i>
</p><p>Or: The one where Cassandra's brother is alive, and he and Varric get along too well for a certain Seeker's comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	before i sleep

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to play around in the "Anthony is alive and well" sandbox for a while, and I decided to throw in my baby boy Trevelyan into the mix (you should SEE HIS FACE in this playthrough ugh). Also the world needed some happy, and it's almost by birfday, so this is for me mostly and also you if you want it. <3

_But I still have promises to keep/And miles to go before I sleep_ \-- Robert Frost, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

* * *

Skyhold wasn't enough for a solitary Pentaghast, Varric decided. Cassandra had always been a looming presence at the keep before they'd been victorious, her constant practice and training exercises always keeping the place thrumming with energy. But now that they'd won and the entire world was dropping in to congratulate and get in their good graces, Skyhold was cramped, crowded, and severely lacking in the kind of tension that could make the courtyards scarce at a moment's notice. Cassandra had fed off of it, and now that there was no one and nothing to stab and chop into tiny bits, she seemed lost. 

Maker only knew how the place would fair now that there were _two_ of them.

 

 

 

"You _may not_ stay here," were the first words Varric heard once he'd grown tired of pretending he didn't feel like eavesdropping on their conversation. He could hear the snap of her boots on the wooden floors, and the soft chuckle of the man who had descended upon the keep like a midday snow. 

"My dear sister, I've been riding a horse, _alone_ , for six weeks. I killed a _giant_ on my way here. I helped a band of elves fell a _dragon_ just three days ago. I am _exhausted_ and I will stay anywhere I damn well please." He said his piece with force, though not unkindly, and Varric realized -- Cassandra's _brother_ had come to Skyhold. 

Varric had tried getting her to talk about him for months, well before they'd fallen into bed together, but Cassandra had skirted around the topic. She'd called Anthony a variety of unpleasant names, but would not dare call him anything less than a true gentleman and an example for Pentaghasts across the homeland. 

In his presence, however, she seemed less than impressed. "I do not care if you _rode_ the giant into the keep. You will leave. Immediately."

"I came to see _you_ , Cassandra." A chair scraped and he must have stood. "Your last letter was cheerful. You said you were happy, you said you were in love. You refused my help months ago, and I respected that. I knew if you needed me to fight this Corypheus, you would have said so. And I did my part as you requested. I sent you men, I sent you money and weapons. Maker, I sent you some of mother's _things_ , just because I thought it would make you happy." Cassandra said nothing. "I wanted to do what I could for you, and when this was finished I wanted to be with you, if only to make sure you were truly as content as you claimed to be."

"I did not ask you to come here."

"I am your _brother_ , Cassandra. I am not your enemy. And I won't be treated like one while I'm here." Despite his frustration, Varric couldn't place the anger. Cassandra's brother bore no ill will toward his sister, even when she was being as stubborn as she always was.

Cassandra sighed. "What will you even _do_ here?"

"I don't know. Get a drink. Meet your Inquisitor. Convince him to have another drink with me. Maybe meet this man you're in love with." Anthony laughed. "Unless you're going to hide him from me."

"Andraste preserve us," Cassandra muttered, and Varric suddenly heard her footsteps getting closer, and he didn't have time to get out of the way, couldn't pretend like he _hadn't_ heard every word -- so he straightened up and quickly leaned against the door frame, his arms folded over his chest, pretending to observe the wall behind him. Cassandra wrenched the door open and stared down at him. "How long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes."

"Maker take you, Varric." She sighed and stepped aside so he could come further into their room. He'd convinced her months ago to abandon her little bedroll under the pain of potential death by archdemon, and since Corypheus had gone, they'd settled into what Varric liked to call half-assed domesticity. It mostly involved Varric staying up stupidly late and getting up stupidly early, sometimes even before her, and bringing her the blackest tea under the damn sun. She would sometimes prop his boots by the door and occasionally swipe sweets from the kitchen. Her clothes hung in his armour and the short brush and box of pins she used to fix her hair sat at the vanity he'd had Josephine order for her after Leliana had left for Val Royeaux. 

It worked for them, despite the squabbles and the disagreements. He adored her, loved her, and she would often admit the same, before bed, her lips pressed against his neck.

Anthony knew none of this, and Varric wondered what motivation Cassandra could possibly have for him _never_ knowing any of it at all. 

"Is this the dwarf you were heading to interrogate in Kirkwall the last time I saw you?"

"He...yes. He is."

"Varric Tethras. Good to finally meet you," Varric said, extending a hand. 

Anthony grinned. "And _you._ I've got a copy of _Hard in Hightown_ in my pack. One of my favorites."

"Well, whaddya know?"

"Do not encourage him," Cassandra said, but Varric wasn't really sure who she was talking to, or about. "If you'd like to meet the Inquisitor, you will have to wait. He is away until the end of the week."

"Oh, we've got so much time for each other then," Anthony said. "Is your lover with him? Maker, are you in love with the _Inquisitor?_ "

Varric _snorted_ without realized it, and the two of them stared him down, their gazes near twins. "Well, that's...unsettling."

"Did I say something funny?"

"The Inquisitor is...involved," Cassandra said carefully. "And very young."

"He's still got acne I think."

"He does _not_ ," she said. "But he has a lover. A mage from Tevinter. You saw him on your way in."

"Oh! Well look at that." Anthony grinned and looked between them. "I'll have to buy them _both_ a drink. So much love. So much _making_ love. I assume as much anyway. Tell me, then. Is it that Templar? Or perhaps the Qunari I spotted? Maybe the bearded fellow--"

" _Ugh._ " Cassandra covered her face with her hands. "You are incredibly _stupid_ , considering that you are _my_ brother, do you know that?" She sat on the edge of the bed and gestured with an open hand toward Varric. "Anthony, _please._ "

Anthony stared at her for a moment before turning back to Varric. His gaze shifted between the two of them several times before he began to shake, laughter spilling from his mouth. He sat down on the floor and practically _howled_ with it, before getting up and wrapping Varric in his arms. 

"Bless you," he said. "For having the grace to love my sister." And it could have been an insult, _should_ have been an insult -- but the way Cassandra looked up, the way she smiled at the two of them, the way her neck flushed and her eyes brightened, Varric knew there was nothing but love in the sentiment, and embraced the man in return.

 

 

 

When Maxwell returned from the Western Approach, Varric and Anthony were in the stables. Over the last several days, they had spent a great deal of time together. Anthony and Cassandra shared a bizarre passion for Varric's stories, and the elder Pentaghast had a dozen questions nearly every morning. Had Hawke _really_ done all those things? The battle with Arishok, had it been the way it was described? Was Isabella truly that beautiful? 

"You hardly speak of yourself in those books, you know."

"Not my place to make myself much more than what I was."

"But you were a hero! Same as your friends!"

"Are you trying to talk Varric into _liking_ himself?" The Inquisitor came up behind them, grinning. Maxwell had a distinct that Varric had enjoyed from the very start, and it was always something special to hear it. He was covered in dust, and the thin layer of it made him look even younger than he was. He handed his horse off to one of Master Dennett's boys and smiled. "It's quite a feat you know. Only the Seeker's managed much of anything these days."

"Yes, he's mentioned that."

Maxwell narrowed his eyes, looking Anthony up and down before he snapped his fingers and said, "You're her _brother._ "

"Ah, he is as clever as you said."

"Maker's balls, I never thought I'd get to see _this._ " The Inquisitor held out a hand and they embraced one another, Anthony undeterred by the dust and dirt. "Please forgive me, I've been closing spare rifts all week. Let me clean up, grab Dorian, and we'll meet you in the tavern in an hour."

"Lovely." Anthony smiled as Maxwell took off, whistling and slapping the dust from his riding gloves. "What a nice boy."

"He's maybe twenty," Varric said. " _Maybe._ "

"I heard he's one of those Trevelyans. They've got a whole brood of girls and just the one boy, and he goes and falls for a dashing Tevinter outcast. It's like a _story._ One of yours, in fact. Are you writing it? Is he acting it out? I'd read that, you know."

"Well, maybe someday. When the Seeker isn't looking."

"Oh, she'd only _pretend_ she didn't want you to write her into a story. She'd love it, you know. Would you write yourself in? Perhaps throw in your affair as an aside?" Varric shrugged. "Well, in due time, I suppose." He leaned against the wall. "I've been very polite, you know. All week, in fact."

"Is this where you threaten to flay my skin off if I hurt your sister?"

"It's only for show, really. I should honestly be giving that talk to _her._ She's...rough."

"She's exactly who she is."

"Maker, you really do love her, don't you?" Anthony straightened up. "It's good for her. She needs something like this."

Varric looked at him. "I'd be happy spending the rest of my life with your sister," he said quietly. "I'll spend any moment I can with her." He shook his head. "We were so sure we were going to die out there, and then we...didn't. We didn't die, we made it back here and now it feels like there's so much _time._ And I just...want to be with her."

Anthony put a hand on his shoulder. "You should tell her that."

"How did you--"

"She'll cry when you do. She'll call you a fool and everything else, but you should _tell_ her."

"Are you...telling me that I should ask Cassandra to _marry_ me?"

"I'm not saying you _shouldn't_ do that, but I wouldn't say no if you were asking for permission."

Varric stared at him, wondering how this man could be so much like the woman he loved, and so incredibly different. He smiled, felt something lift from his chest, release him like a loose vise, and he felt the laughter shake out of him. "I...I should do that, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, Varric. You should ask her."

"Tonight."

"Do you have a ring?"

"I..." To hell with everything, yes, he did. He had a ring. He'd had a ring for ages. Sitting in the bottom of a chest, the ring that had been his mother's as a girl, before she'd met his father. It had been left to Bartrand, but Bartrand was gone now, and everything of his was Varric's. He couldn't remember if he'd tried to give the ring to Bianca -- she'd never wanted for actual gifts, and when they'd made plans to elope, there had never been a proposal.

"Yes," he said. "I have a ring."

"Good. You should ask her tonight, before you lose your nerve."

"I don't lose things like that so easy."

Anthony chuckled. "Ah, the foolish things men say when they love my sister."

 

 

 

_Cassandra, will you marry me?_

_Cassandra. Will you marry me._

_Cassandra, will you? Marry me._

"Maker's _balls_."

Varric had been cool under pressure back in the stables. He had been confident, and Anthony had laughed in his face. Standing now in the center of his room -- _their room, this was their room now_ \-- he felt like an idiot, like the fool Anthony so fondly took him for. Cassandra would be back from her meeting with Josephine and some traveling diplomat, and Varric would be standing there with a ring in his pocket, trying to figure out where the pause in his damn sentence should go.

"Cassandra, will you--"

The door swung open, and she was suddenly there, her expression dark until she saw him. Her eyes lifted, and the lines around her mouth softened when she met his gaze. Varric never grew tired of watching her come into a room. "You're here," she said. "I wondered if I'd have to turn the keep inside out looking for you."

"Always where you need me, never where you want me."

"Pour me a drink?" she asked. "I need to rest before dinner, I think." She took off the pieces of her armor that she wore when they had guests, leaving her in the soft tunic she favored. She wore the boots Varric had bought her for her birthday the month before, and she let him pull them off, twisting her ankles once they were free. "I hate to stand for so long without _doing_ anything," she murmured. "These talking heads are something for Josephine to enjoy, I won't ever understand why I am needed."

"The woman who founded the Inquisition? You're a politician's dream, Seeker."

"I am no one's dream."

"Well, you sleep with a dwarf, so you would know I suppose." Varric laughed as she huffed in his face and pressed his lips to her own. "You were up before me."

"Sometimes I manage it," she said. 

"I haven't seen you in _hours._ "

"Yes, I suppose my brother is a poor substitute for my company. Trevelyan returned?"

"He did. We met him in the stables. They had a drink. Or they're still having drinks."

Cassandra laughed and stood to stretch. "The last one, I should think. The only thing Anthony loves more than wine is people who will drink it with him, preferably in the quantities he enjoys." She paused. "You seem anxious. Is something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, it's just--" Cassandra bent to kiss him again and Varric sighed. "You won't get anything out of me like _that._ "

"I am trying to seduce you, dwarf. Or should I come right out and tell you that I would prefer you take off more than my boots?"

Varric chuckled. "Well, when you put it like that..." For a moment, Varric completely forgot why he'd been waiting there for her in the first place. He urged her toward the bed, fingers deftly unlacing her breeches and slipping along the hem. She sat on the edge, her knees spread for him as he settled between her legs, the sash loosening around his tunic. It would have been a smooth transition, had the ring not fell from his pocket as she tried to undress him, and tumbled to the floor with a distinctive noise that brought them both out of their trance.

"What was that?"

"Probably nothing."

" _Varric._ " 

Groaning, he bent to pick the ring off the floor, aware of her gaze. Cassandra eyed the ring for only a moment before she made the softest noise, almost silent had the room not been completely still. "You--"

"I know we've only been...it hasn't been long, I guess, is what I'm saying."

"It has been nearly a year."

"Right. I guess maybe in a more traditional sense I should be courting you properly and making sure you have an appropriate dowry or whatever. I did _ask_ your brother first. Sort of. He kind of wheedled it out of me."

"He is as bad as you, sometimes."

"I want to marry you," Varric said. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want any time this world will spare us, because you and I both know we might not have much left. I mean, sure, we solved one world ending crisis, but it's _us_ , so who knows what'll-- _mmph!_ " Varric instinctively clutched the ring in his fist as Cassandra pulled him close. The kiss was absolutely _filthy_ , raw and open mouthed and meant to seduce, just as she'd intended to. Varric wanted to spread her legs and take her then and there, but she hadn't answered him, and if he was going to make love to her tonight, he was going to do it in celebration. "Seeker--"

"Of course I will marry you, Varric. Where is this ring from? Where did you get it?"

"I've had it for years."

"You..." She flushed, prying his fingers open to look at it. "Have you ever--"

_Did you give this ring to her? Did you use it to promise another life to someone else?_

"This ring is for you," Varric said. "My mother wore it. It might not fit, but she was always so thin, just big enough so the wind didn't blow her over..." He trailed off, and watched the ring slide gently onto her finger. "Look at that, a decent enough fit."

"Decent? Varric, it is..." Cassandra clasped her hands together. "It is heavy." She looked at him. "It will last a very long time."

"Well, you know I'm a sucker for incidental symbolism." He sighed as she stroked a hand over his cheek, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. "I love you," he said. "Maybe I don't say it enough--"

"I don't need your words to know how you feel," Cassandra said quietly. "I should think that we have made that clear to one another by now." 

"So if I wanted to express a certain _feeling_ by taking your clothes off with my teeth..."

"I would not say no."

"I really _do_ love you, Seeker."

She smiled and pulled the sash from his waist. "I know."

 

 

 

It was a testament to Josephine's skills that Skyhold was fit for a proper celebration the very day Varric and Cassandra became engaged. Varric suspected Anthony had let it slip over wine, and it hadn't taken long for someone to tell Josephine that if she didn't act quickly, the appropriate time for an engagement party was going to pass right by her. He had his money on Dorian.

By the time they'd finished the first part of their own celebration, the tavern had been cleared for dancing and their circle of friends, along with the Chargers and Dagna and Harding and Maker _knew_ who else, was crowded inside, waiting for them.

" _Surprise!_ " Maxwell threw himself at them both and was possibly crying. "Look, _look_ what Josephine did for you."

"Darling." Dorian pulled at the Inquisitor's sleeve. "Let them _breathe_ ," he said, before taking Maxwell's place and hauling them both in. "See, we _love_ you."

"If you love us, you will _let go_ of me," Cassandra said, and Dorian pulled back. "Josephine, this was not necessary."

"Well your _brother--_ "

"Of course." Cassandra threw a look his way, and Varric noted he and Josephine were pressed close, their arms looped together, twin wine glasses in each hand. "Is there food, at least?" she asked, and there was. Sera and Cole were sitting in the rafters together, while Cullen popped a few more bottles of wine. "Stay with me," she said suddenly, and Varric felt her hand tremble in his own.

"Always," Varric said.

"You promise."

"For as long as I can."

Cassandra held his gaze, and Varric thought that maybe, given all they'd sacrificed, all they'd _lost_ \-- maybe this world would let him keep that promise, now.

But it would be worth it, he thought, to give up a few more things for her. It would be worth it, and he'd do it all over again, if she'd only look at him the way she did now, every day, every morning, until his body gave up on him, and the sun set overhead, and the world finally let him sleep.


End file.
